KOCHI: The city police have booked a lawyer accused of raping a 30-year-old woman, one of his clients.
A case was registered at Palarivattom police station based on the client’s complaint. She alleged lawyer Pratheesh Prabha, 42, of Idukki lured her into a sexual relationship after promising to marry her.
Though Pratheesh had approached a local court seeking anticipatory bail, the police opposed it saying the investigation was in its primary stages. They said they wanted to collect the details of the lodge where the offence was committed and seize the evidence, including the lodge’s register. The police also told the court that Pratheesh’s custodial interrogation was necessary to collect certain details. The court rejected his plea.
“We have collected some evidence against the lawyer. The complainant had said the lawyer hid that fact that he was married to convince her to begin a relationship with him,” said a police officer.
In his petition submitted in the court, the lawyer alleged that the woman was blackmailing him using their photographs and demanding huge sums of money from him. He claimed he gave her some money following repeated threats from the woman.
Now, he alleged, the woman was influencing the police to arrest him in order to tarnish his reputation. He said he had lodged a complaint against the woman in Vellathooval police station in Idukki on August 23, saying that she was threatening to misuse some of their pictures if he failed to give her money.
“He filed the complaint after the rape case was registered against him. It proves he had sexual relationships with her,” said a police officer.